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Sunday, July 25, 2004

Indiana Courts - Federal Courts to Have Online Filing

An AP story today reports that:

The days when lawyers and messengers have to race to file papers before the courthouse closes are fading as printed records give way to online filing, although fully electronic court records are still years away.

On Sept. 1, the Indianapolis court moves a bit closer to that reality when documents in all civil cases filed on or after July 1, 2002, must be filed online.

The change is part of the E-Government Act of 2002, aimed at using information technology to make government more accessible and increase efficiency. The federal court system's online docket actually began years earlier as a way to manage massive class action cases, officials said. * * *

Posting is virtually instantaneous, so documents that are filed before midnight bear the same day's date even though the courthouse has been closed for hours. Papers are served instantaneously by e-mail. * * *

The public can view and download many court documents on the Internet. An online account is required, and the government charges a fee of 7 cents per page accessed.

Here is the notice of the changeover to electronic filing, posted on the Southern District of Indiana's website. Here is the Court's main information page about electronic case files, including a link to Frequently Asked Questions.

More. A check of the Northern District of Indiana site indicates that electronic case filing has been available since at least 3/23/04, and appears to be mandatory.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on July 25, 2004 08:54 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts